Prophecies in the Black
by Kat500
Summary: MalBuffy... Dawn is taken by a demon so Buffy does a spell to find her, but as always, the spell doesn't go as planned. R&R please.
1. Into the Future

Buffy rushed towards the demon with all she had; all the while screaming her sister's name. She swore to protect her and that was just what she was going to do, but in a bright flash of light the demon disappeared; causing Buffy to smack into the wall and quickly turn around to see where he had gone. There was nothing, just an empty cave and her friends who wore shocked expressions on their faces. Buffy could still hear Dawn's scream echo through her ears and knew then she had failed. Collapsing to her knees, she buried her head in her hands; ignoring the arms that wrapped around her and the promised whispers in her ear. She had no way of finding Dawn now, for all they knew she was in a different dimension all together, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight. It wasn't in her nature to, so with that thought in mind she rose to her feet and turned to the red headed witch.

"We need to do a spell," without waiting for a reply, Buffy stormed out of the cave and headed for the nearest Magic Shop.

Willow would have argued with Buffy the whole way, but with all the years she had known her, this was one of those times where you didn't. Buffy's mind was set and there was no way talking her out of it. Willow also knew that doing a spell was the only option for finding Dawn and she would've brought it up had Buffy not beaten her to it.

It hadn't taken them long before they found a shop; Europe seemed to be full of them which was part of the reason why they moved there. Buffy shoved the door open a little too forcefully, banging it against the wall behind it; she received a glare from the clerk but ignored it as she looked for the ingredients she needed. Willow just stood beside her as she pointed out which things she needed, Buffy grabbing them without hesitation. Two bags full later and they were out the door with the rest of the gang in tow; they were on a mission and nothing could stop them.

* * *

After rehearsing the spell as best she could, Buffy was now sitting in the center of the candles that were carefully placed just as Willow had instructed. She sat with her legs crossed and her eyes closed as she slowly and quietly chanted the words she practiced just hours before, her mind concentrating on only one thing. Dawn. As her words got louder and faster she could feel the room around her begin to spin and it made it difficult to concentrate, but she was determined. Just as she began the chant for the last time she could feel the magic flow through her body and it was painful. She struggled with the words as the pain increased; digging her nails into the palm of her hands, drawing blood in the process. As the last word slipped past her lips she felt a tearing sensation going through her entire body, causing her to scream out in agony as she felt her body being torn apart and then there was nothing but darkness.

Willow ran into Buffy's room when she heard the scream and was shocked at what she saw. Where Buffy should have been there was nothing but candles placed in a circle; some had been blown out by some invisible force. Worry filled Willow's heart as she searched the room in hopes of finding Buffy, but to no avail. She crouched in front of the circle and place a hand where Buffy had been, feeling the warmth that resided there.

"Oh goddess, what have we done?" Willow whispered to the air around her, tears slipping past her lids to fall on a flickering flame; snuffing in out instantly.

* * *

Buffy awoke on a cold hard floor, her eyes burning from the bright lights above; she scanned her surroundings through squinted eyes, noticing a few catwalks above her with stairs that led to each one in some form or another. She rolled over from her side to her stomach, trying desperately to ignore the pain that flowed through her and pressed her palms on the floor in an effort to lift herself up. Getting on her hands and knees, she froze when a young girl with long brown hair knelt in front of her and placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder.

"You came a long way, looking for a lost sister. She's not here ya know," the girl quickly looked at the bay door with wide eyes before turning back to Buffy, "she's coming."

"What…where…" Buffy stammered as she backed away from the girl.

"It's okay. No reason to be scared… not yet."

"Well, guess the spell didn't work," Buffy mumbled to herself.

"Oh no, it worked. Just not the way you expected."

"How do you…" Buffy stopped mid-sentence, not real sure what she was going to ask.

The girl just smiled softly at her, not even flinching when the bay doors opened; Buffy on the other hand couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was confused about where she was and who the girl was in front of her that the sight before her was almost too much; it was like she was in a spaceship of some kind.

"You know I just wish for once, just once, that a job could go smooth. Is that too much to ask?"

"I'm guessing it is, Sir," Buffy heard a conversation between a man and a woman as they walked up the ramp to the ship.

At the sight of the man, Buffy quickly backed up only to meet a wall with her back in the process; getting attention of the two people. Buffy was now shaking her head back and forth in disbelief at who she saw, but that didn't change the fact that he was there before her.

"Who is she? Wash, who is she?" The man asked pointing to Buffy when he saw the pilot walk into the bay area, a confused look on his face.

"My guess is as good as yours, Mal," Wash replied as he walked to stand next to him.

"Buffy. Her name is Buffy."

Mal looked at the source of the voice with confusion still on his face and watched as the girl walked in front of Buffy with a look of awe on her face.

"River, care to tell me _why_ she is on my ship," Mal demanded.

"Don't know. She just appeared. I saw it, a white light and then her," River explained as she brushed a strand of Buffy's hair out of her face.

"Uh huh, well, she can't stay so…" Mal was cut off by Buffy's retreat from him when he went to grab her arm.

"I killed you," Buffy whispered as she stared him down, her eyes cut into slits.

"Okay, well that's a bit unsettlin' isn't it," Mal turned to his first mate, Zoë who only nodded her approval.

"Okay miss, I don't know how you got on my ship but here's where you get off," Mal said.

"You can't! She belongs here! She has to stay, it's important!" River screamed as she blocked Mal's path to Buffy.

"I ain't got time to argue with you, I'm the Captain and what I say goes," Mal loomed over River but he knew it didn't intimidate her.

"Sir, I understand where you're coming from, but Persephone isn't a place to leave a girl," Zoë interjected and Mal knew she was right, but he didn't feel right leaving a girl on his ship who claims killed him.

Mal nodded his agreement, but still reached around River to grab Buffy's arm. In an instant he found his arm pinned to his back by Buffy and thrown across the bay, landing on a pile of crates.

"Gwai-gwai long duh dong!" Wash exclaimed at seeing Mal fly across the room and Buffy not even breaking a sweat.

"Okay, I don't know what your problem is but what I do know is…" Mal began as he walked back over to Buffy, only to be interrupted by a fist in the face; causing him to go flying at Wash to land at the pilot's feet.

Buffy stomped her way towards Mal and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, knocking both Zoë and Wash off of her when they tried to pull her away.

"Where is she!"

"What!? Who?"

Buffy brought her fist down on his face over and over again as she demanded to know where her sister was. She was quickly grabbed around the neck and pulled away by the captain, and just as she was about to flip her attacker over her she felt a prick in the arm and once again darkness overcame her.

TBC

Translations:

Gwai-gwai long duh dong! – What the hell!


	2. Explanations

Buffy awoke to find herself unable to move, her whole body from her neck down was completely numb and her head pounded with incredible force. She averted her eyes in the direction of scuffling feet and quickly squinted when a bright light shone in her face.

"Ah, you're awake," she heard a voice say but couldn't make out the face because the glare from the light was too strong.

"What did you do to me," she demanded to know through clenched teeth.

"Well, after hearing about what you did in the cargo bay, I figured it was safer that I give you something to lax your muscles. It'll wear off in time."

"Let… me… go…" Buffy growled out as she tried desperately to move her arms.

"Ummm, I don't think so. Not until I find out why you felt it necessary to use me as your own personal punching bag," Mal walked in with an ice pack over one eye.

"Stay away from me!"

"Not 'til I get answers from you," Mal pressed his hands on either side of Buffy and leaned into her, his face mere inches from hers.

"Where's my sister?" Buffy asked, ignoring the uneasiness in her stomach at how close he was to her.

"Uh uh, see… I ask the questions, not you," Mal replied as he stood up straight, " 'sides I don't know who you're sister even is."

"You're lying!"

"Listen, I don't even know who you are!"

Buffy clenched her jaw and stared into the eyes of the man who once was her enemy as she felt the muscles in her arms awaken. Her fingers twitched with anticipation as did the rest of her muscles, a smile creeping up on her face.

"Doc, I don't like the way she's lookin' at me," Mal pointed out as he watched the smile begin to spread.

Just as Simon moved over to the bedside, Buffy leaped to her feet and snatched the syringe out of the doctor's grip; grabbing him by the throat and holding the needle to his eye.

"One move and I'll shove this in his brain!" Buffy screamed when Mal started to take a step forward.

"Whoa now, let's all just stay calm okay," Mal held up his hands to show he was no danger to her.

"Shut up, okay! I am so sick of this! I want to know where my sister is!"

"Buffy," a soft voice in the doorway got her attention and Buffy whipped her head in that direction. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight and her grip around Simon lessened.

"Dawnie," she whispered as she stared at the girl in the doorway.

The girl had a slight glow surrounding her and her hair flowed freely around her face and down her back; Buffy released her hostage and walked up to the girl. Placing a shaking hand on her face and allowed the tears to fall as a smile captured her face. She pulled the girl in a hug and refused to let go but as she pulled back her smile faltered when she noticed the girl standing in front of her was not Dawn, but River instead; a smile reflecting Buffy's.

"No," Buffy whispered as she backed away, refusing to accept the fact that her eyes had played tricks on her.

"Buffy, it's okay," River replied as she followed Buffy.

"NO!" Buffy collapsed to floor and gripped her head in her hands, her hair trapped in her fists. She allowed the tears to come full force as she rocked herself back and forth, refusing to believe where she was and the things that had happened in the past two days.

"Shhh, it'll be alright," River whispered as she pulled Buffy into her lap, the blonde girl resting her head on the young girl's legs; allowing her to comb her fingers through the gold locks.

Mal and Simon just watched the event unfold, confusion written on their faces at the transition from a young warrior woman to a vulnerable and fragile girl. They watched with sympathy and pity as River soothed the girl in her arms, trying to wrap their brains around who she was, where she was from, and how she got there. There was going to be a lot of explaining to do, Mal thought, and the first was going to be convincing Buffy he was not the man she thought he was.

Buffy sat in the galley with the rest of the crew staring at her in curiosity, making her feeling uneasy which made her fiddle with anything she could get her hands on. She still kept her eyes on Mal, unable to imagine him as anyone but Caleb.

"Alright, we'll start by asking who you are and why you're here," Mal broke the silence, leaning against the counter of the kitchen.

Buffy scanned the room, looking at every face there; trying to find the words to describe what had happened without sounding like some psychotic. She stared down at her hands as she opened her mouth to speak.

"My name is Buffy, as most of you know already and I'm not real sure why I'm here. My, uh, sister was kidnapped and I was looking for her. Then the next thing I know I'm waking up in a strange ship with people I've never seen before. With the exception of you," Buffy addressed Mal with her eyes and he nodded in response.

"Speaking of which, why do you keep saying you killed him," Wash asked as he pointed to his captain with his hand.

"Because I did, or at least someone who looks and sounds just like him," Buffy answered with raised eyebrows.

"Again with the unsettlin'," Mal replied as he walked over to where Buffy sat, "care to explain this fella?"

"He was a priest who hated women. Thought they were evil and he would murder them, I don't know how many he killed," Buffy answered with a shrug, "but I showed him."

"Well, that don't sound like the cap'n," the young engineer replied, "he's the sweetest toward the women folk, ain't ya." Mal just smile at her in response before looking back at the petite blonde before him.

"I would never lay a hand on a woman, my mamma taught me better than that," Mal told her with gentleness in his voice and Buffy couldn't help but believe it was genuine. And the look in his eyes told her something else, what it was she couldn't say at the time; but she figured she'd find out eventually. She gave a small smile before averting her eyes elsewhere, she felt something change inside her when she looked at him and it was uninvited.

"So, do you know who took your sister?" Kaylee asked with a sad smile.

"Yeah, but I don't think he's anywhere near," Buffy answered; trying not to give too much away about the demon world.

"What world was he on? We could start looking there, for clues and such," Mal asked wanting desperately to help her out.

"World?"

"Well, yeah," Mal answered, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Woah, wait a minute," Buffy quickly sat up, her hands raised in the air, "where am I… I mean what time. Is this the future?"

"Most would call it the present," Mal replied.

"What year… how…" before Buffy could respond any further, she felt a soft touch on her shoulder; turning to see who it was, she found River's big brown eyes looking into her green ones. She watched as River leaned towards her ear and whispered an explanation. Buffy's eyes grew bigger and bigger with each word until her eyelids couldn't stretch any further.

"No no no, see this can't be right. My sister, she… no. Five hundred?" River nodded in response and Buffy collapsed back to the chair she had recently vacated. Tears once again welled in her eyes and fell down her soft skin, she had done it. She failed, she was on a mission to save her sister and it back fired. Now she was stranded five hundred years in the future without a clue how to get back home.

"Okay, someone care to explain," Mal ordered, he didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"She's not from our time, Captain," River answered.

"I don't have time for your psycho babble, River."

"It's not psycho babble, captain. She's not from our time, she was sent here by a power higher than us."

"Okay now you know not to talk about him around me," Mal was getting angry. He usually did with the mention of God.

River laughed at him and didn't wince at his glare, "I'm not talking about him, but there is a power higher than us. And she's their puppet."

"River, please," Buffy begged as she placed a hand on her arm.

"They need to understand, Buffy."

"Okay, I'm getting' tired of this gorram bullshit," Jayne said as he got up from his chair to leave the galley.

"Sit Jayne," River ordered him and surprising everyone, including Jayne, he did as he was told.

"She protects us from them. She fights for us, risks her life for us," River spoke, keeping her eyes on Buffy's the entire time; brushing wild strands of blonde away from Buffy's face.

"She's saved the Earth-That-Was many times, Captain," River looked at him before looking back at Buffy, "we probably wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her."

"River would you care to explain it in a way we would understand?" Mal asked getting irritated.

Before River could respond, Buffy opened her mouth to explain, "Have you ever heard of a slayer?"

"Yes." A voice that was silent the entire time spoke up and everyone turned to face the preacher.

"One girl in all the world…"


	3. Untitled

Mal leaned against the railing of the catwalk as he watched Buffy, she was practicing a form of Tai C'hai with her hair pulled back in a bun and her clothes fit like a second layer of skin; it was all Mal could do to keep his eyes from roaming her small muscular body. She had been with them for a little over a week now and they still had no idea where to start looking for her sister. Book explained to everyone what Buffy's destiny was, much to everyone's disbelief. It explained how she could throw Mal across a room with very little effort and how fast the drug that kept her immobile wore off; still Mal, along with everyone else found it difficult to believe what they were told. Buffy impressed them by lifting objects that no ordinary person could even wish to budge, bending pipes as if they were card board and she even threatened to prove how fast she could heal, that's where Mal drew the line. Everyone agreed to at least try and accept who she was and what she could do and that was all Buffy could ask for.

She explained how she had gotten there and how her sister was taken and Book offered to help her out by looking up information, it was a bit comforting how much he reminded Buffy of Giles; giving her a piece of home she never thought she'd see again.

Mal watched as the fingers on her right hand overlapped the ones on her left, her arms slowly lifting over her head as she bent sideways, only to do it again on the other side. Standing straight, she lowered her hands to her legs, separating them and lifting them from her sides to meet back up again above her head. With her hands still above her head, she took a step forward and stretched her leg muscles; bending backwards she rested her hands on the cold floor below and lifted her legs in the air, sending her into a handstand only to quickly swing her legs forward, ending in a standing position.

Mal stared in awe as Buffy switched from Tai C'hai to fighting the air, sending punches and kicks in different directions while adding special touches of flips and jumps. He was finding it difficult to believe she was a 'Slayer'; he had heard stories when he was a child, but that's all they were, at least that's what he thought. Everyone called the Slayer a myth, something to scare children into coming home before the sun went down; it wasn't true.

Mal quickly stood up straight when one of Buffy's punches came in contact with Jayne's face, sending the mercenary spinning before hitting the ground.

Buffy clasped her hands over her mouth and her eyes grew wide at what she had done before kneeling next to the merc.

"I'm so sorry, usually I can sense when someone's near. I guess I just got into it," Buffy rambled as she helped the big man to his feet.

"Yeah well, I could take ya in a fair fight," Jayne mumbled as he held a hand to his now bloody lip.

"Oh, sparring? I haven't done that in awhile," Buffy said excitedly, "come on, let's go." She bounced on the balls of her feet with her fists in the air.

"You ain't sparring with anyone, especially Jayne," Mal interrupted as he galloped down the stairs to meet them on the main floor of the bay.

"You afraid I'll get hurt, Captain?" Buffy asked with an amused look on her face. Over the past few days she and the captain had become good friends and it touched Buffy how protective he was of her, even if it was annoying at times.

"Actually, I'm more concerned about him," Mal replied as he gestured to Jayne with a tilt of his head.

"Hey, I could take her," Mal just nodded at Jayne before turning to head to the galley with Jayne right behind him, "I could ya know."

Buffy just smiled as she watched their retreating forms as she stretched out her sore muscles, she was beginning to feel restless in the small ship. She was itching for some action and training just wasn't cutting it for her and she planned on sneaking off the ship on their next stop so she could patrol for something. She wasn't sure if demons and vampires existed five hundred years in the future, but there was only one way to find out.

* * *

The cargo bay doors opened and Buffy watched as Mal, Jayne, and Zoë walked out onto the planet, what it was called she couldn't remember. Just as the doors started to close, Buffy quickly snuck out on the dust covered ground. She gawked at how much it resembled earth, a desert on earth, but earth nonetheless.

The sun was going down so Buffy wandered the streets of the small western town, watching as various people walked in and out of the tiny stores or taverns as she was becoming impatient with the lack of demon slayage being done until she noticed a small graveyard not too far off.

"My kind of place," Buffy said to herself as she headed in that direction.

She walked through the dark cemetery as she watched and listened for any signs of the demons that surely lurked there. Sitting on a tombstone, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she wiggled the recently whittled stake in the other; humming an unknown tune as she waited.

Squinting her eyes at movement in the shadows, she leaped off the tombstone and ran towards the figure, tackling it to the ground when it retreated from her. Quickly jumping to her feet, she stood in her fighting stance as she waited for her enemy to do the same. Smiling at the sound of a growl rising from the creature's throat and the fangs it showed her, she spun quickly; landing her foot square in the side of it's face.

Growling in response, the vampire threw a punch at her face, only to hit dead air as Buffy easily dodged the blow. She returned the gesture by bringing her fist to the vampire's nose, causing it to crack and bleed; the pain only dazed the vampire for a second before he attacked again by kicking his foot into Buffy's stomach, sending the slayer a few feet from her prey and landing against a tombstone in the process.

She slowly sat up into a crouched position as the pain flowed through her, she watched as the vampire lunged at her; tackling her to the ground. She kicked him off her easily, sending him flying over her head. Buffy kicked her feet in the air and pushed the rest of her body off the ground, landing gracefully on her feet. She spun around to come just inches from the vampire's face, his breath smelt old and foul and she had to choke back the vile that screamed to rise from her stomach.

"Oh, ever hear of a tic-tac?" She asked, her Slayer wit finally coming out.

He only growled his response before bringing a fist to come in contact with her face, Buffy blocked his punch with her arm and spun around so her back faced him before flipping him over her shoulder, sending him flying to the ground. With his arm still in her hand, she slowly walked to where he could see her and knelt down beside him; resting her arm that held the stake on her knee and smiled down at her prey.

"You know who I am?" She asked her voice low and husky.

"The slayer," the vampire hissed.

"Don't you know it," Buffy replied before plunging the stake into his heart, she quickly stood up before any of the dust particles could reach her throat. She always hated it when that stuff got in her nose and mouth, it always took forever to get the smell and taste out no matter what she did.

Buffy rushed back to Serenity, certain Mal was back from his drop off and she had a feeling he wouldn't be too happy about her wandering off without them knowing, especially without him knowing. Her suspicions were confirmed when the ship came into view and Mal was outside pacing, yelling at his crew for allowing her to wander off.

"Hey, what's with the shouting match," Buffy nonchalantly asked, not aware of the condition her clothes were in or how messy her hair was. Everyone stared at her with confusion on their faces as they looked her up and down.

"Gorram woman, what the hell happened," Mal asked as he wore anger on his face, not matching that of the confused faces.

"Huh," Buffy then looked down at the dirt ridden clothes and the holes that had been created from her little battle; she also saw some blood in some spots; which came as no surprise to her. That sort of thing usually happened when being thrown into a tombstone and scratched by a vampire with long nails.

"Oh, guess he did more damage to me than I thought," Buffy responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"More dama… what the hell have you been doin'!" Mal exclaimed as he felt his anger rise.

Buffy shrugged her shoulders, stuck her bottom lip out slightly and arched her eyebrows before responding, "Patrolling… slaying… ya know, my duty."

"No, not while on my ship," Mal ordered as he pointed a finger at her.

"And you're gonna stop me… how," Buffy replied, slightly amused by his response.

"Look. My ship. My rules. Dong ma?"

"Dogma? Oh yeah, I saw that movie, funny as hell," Buffy replied with an innocent smile.

"Wha… no, you are not to leave my boat unless I say," Mal was having problems keeping up with the blonde before him who stood straight and held her hands behind her back in an attempt to mock him, which worked he hated to admit.

"May I be excused now, Dad," Buffy asked with a small smile on her face.

Mal just glared at her while clenching his jaw and she ran into the ship while giggling, she loved to give the Captain a hard time; yep she would admit it, she was flirting with him. Her feelings for him were growing, but she knew she had to keep that to herself and always to herself. There was no use getting attached when it wasn't certain she was there permanently and she wasn't going to risk getting hurt or hurting him; she just couldn't bare the thought.

* * *

Buffy heard a knock on her door and she quickly pulled her robe up, ignoring the pain it caused but before she could completely cover herself up, Mal walked in and saw the dark bruises on her back. 

"Buffy…" Mal walked towards her but she quickly turned to face him.

"Don't worry about it, Cap'n. It'll be gone by morning."

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Mal replied as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I appreciate the gesture, but it'll take a lot more than a measly vampire and a tombstone to take me down," Buffy replied with a genuine smile.

"It still don't make me worry less," Mal replied, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Mal, don't," Buffy started when she saw the passion flicker through his eyes and before she could say anything else she found his lips on hers and her arms around his neck. The kiss between them was intense, an intensity she had never felt before; not even with Angel.

With a flash of realization at what was happening, she pulled away from him while shaking her head, "I'm sorry, Mal. I can't… I just can't."

"You're right, I shouldn't have done that. Ship board romances complicate things…" Mal trailed off as he found himself lost in her green depths.

"No, Mal, that's not it… I just… can't," Buffy couldn't find a way to explain herself, no matter how hard she tried.

They stared at each other in silence as Mal rested his hands on her shoulders; he wanted so much to take her into his arms and kiss her with all he had, but he only did the one thing he always did by ignoring his heart and listening to his head. So with a small smile sent her way and a slight head nod, he turned and walked out of her room; leaving Buffy to stare after him.

TBC


End file.
